National New Play Network Ltd

ALLIANCE OF THEATERS THAT COLLABORATE TO DEVELOP, PRODUCE, AND EXTEND THE LIFE OF NEW PLAYS.

NNPN'S MOST FAR-REACHING AND FAST-EXPANDING RESOURCE FOR THE FIELD IS THE NEW PLAY EXCHANGE. A DIGITAL PRODUCT CREATED FOLLOWING MONTHS OF RESEARCH ACROSS THE NATION WITH POTENTIAL USERS, NPX IS AN ONLINE DATABASE OF NEW WORKS, THEIR CREATORS, READERS, AND PRODUCING ORGANIZATIONS. LAUNCHED IN JANUARY OF 2015, NPX NOW IS HOME TO MORE THAN 50,000 PLAYS BY LIVING WRITERS. THE PLATFORM, WHICH ALLOWS PLAYWRIGHTS TO SHARE THEIR WORK, READERS TO DISCOVER AND RECOMMEND THOSE PLAYS, AND ORGANIZATIONS TO ACCESS PLAYS BY WRITERS THAT FIT THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS, IS USED BY MORE THAN 25,000 PEOPLE WORLDWIDE AND THROUGH ITS I.P.-WHITELISTING SYSTEM IS AVAILABLE TO MORE THAN 1.8 MILLION HIGHER ED STUDENTS. THE SITE ALSO PROVIDES A SPACE FOR AN ONLINE PRIVATE LIBRARY AND READING NOTES, COLLECTS VALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FIELD THAT WILL SERVE AS GUIDANCE FOR FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS OF THE PRODUCT, AND PROVIDES UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS TO THE PLAYS AND THEATER-MAKERS OF TODAY TO ANYONE, ANYWHERE WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION AND $12 TO SPEND ON THE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FEE.

NNPN'S FLAGSHIP INITIATIVE, THE NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK ROLLING WORLD PREMIERES (RWP), SUPPORTS THREE OR MORE MEMBER THEATERS THAT CHOOSE TO MOUNT THE SAME NEW PLAY WITHIN AN 18-MONTH PERIOD. IN THIS PROGRAM, A PLAYWRIGHT DEVELOPS A NEW WORK WITH AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT CREATIVE TEAMS FOR AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES OF PATRONS, ENSURING THE RESULTING PLAY IS OF THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE QUALITY. NNPN AUTHORIZES BOTH FUNDED RWPS, INVOLVING A MINIMUM OF TWO CORE MEMBERS AND AT LEAST ONE OTHER MEMBER THEATER, AS WELL AS UNFUNDED RWPS, MADE UP OF ANY COMBINATION OF THREE OR MORE MEMBERS. FUNDED PROJECTS RECEIVE UP TO $22,500 DIVIDED AMONG THE PARTNERS. NNPN HAS SUPPORTED MORE THAN 100 NEW PLAYS AND MORE THAN 325 PRODUCTIONS TO DATE.

OTHER PROGRAMS - INCLUDING:NNPN'S RESIDENCY PROGRAMS, ESTABLISHED IN 2007 TO SUPPORT PLAYWRIGHTS IN SEASON-LONG POSITIONS AT CORE MEMBER THEATERS, HAS GROWN OVER THE YEARS TO INCLUDE SIMILAR OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGING PRODUCERS. IN 2014, NNPN JOINED WITH THE O'NEILL THEATRE CENTER, THE SOCIETY OF DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS, AND THE KENNEDY CENTER TO ADDED DIRECTORS TO ITS RESIDENCY CONSTITUENTS THROUGH THE NATIONAL DIRECTORS FELLOWS (NDF) PROGRAM. NDF PROVIDES DIRECTORS, CHOSEN THROUGH A COMPETITIVE PROCESS FROM A NATIONWIDE POOL OF APPLICANTS, WITH MULTIPLE POINTS OF ACCESS TO THE LEADERS OF NNPN MEMBER THEATERS, OTHER AFFILIATED ARTISTS, AND THEATER PROFESSIONALS, AS WELL AS A RESIDENCY AND DIRECTING POSITION FOR EACH FELLOW AT A CORE MEMBER THEATER. IN 2016 NNPN'S COLLABORATION FUND PROGRAM WAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE SHORT-TERM RESIDENCIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS WITH THEATERS, IN ADDITION TO ITS LONGSTANDING SUPPORT OF PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS BETWEEN MULTIPLE THEATERS.THE NATIONAL SHOWCASE OF NEW PLAYS (NSNP) PRESENTS A VETTED SELECTION OF SIX NEW PLAYS FOR MEMBERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN A STAGED READING FORMAT. THE SHOWCASE IS PRODUCED BY A MEMBER THEATER IN A DIFFERENT CITY EACH YEAR, AND NNPN PAYS TRAVEL COSTS SO THAT EACH CORE MEMBER HAS REPRESENTATIVES IN ATTENDANCE. MORE THAN 120 PLAYS HAVE RECEIVED SHOWCASE READINGS, AND AS OF JULY 2018, 106 OF THEM HAD RECEIVED WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTIONS WITHIN THE NEXT TWO SEASONS, MORE THAN 80 OF THEM AT NNPN MEMBERS.